New Music Releases: Motion – Toby Marks (aka Banco De Gaia); Resavoir; Bill Bruford

Motion – Toby Marks (aka Banco De Gaia)

Motion is an innovative new album by sound artists Toby Marks (aka Banco De Gaia) and Andrew Heath. Although the pair have collaborated on individual tracks and shows before, this is the first album they have worked on together. Toby and Andrew started making extensive field recordings on trips to the four corners of Britain during 2018. They went deep into Llechwedd Slate Cavernsin Wales, explored Suttle Stone Quarries in Bournemouth, hopped on the Swanage Ferry to Poole Harbour, took to the air with the Yorkshire Gliding Club, floated down the Leeds & Liverpool Canal and rode the Bure Valley Railway in Norfolk. By the end they had a staggering hundred hours of audio in total, which they processed and transformed, blending piano, guitars and electronics, to produce a deeply meditative, endlessly unfolding collection.

Resavoir – International Anthem

Resavoir is a collective of instrumentalists, all of whom represent exciting new directions in Chicago’s fertile contemporary jazz and creative music scenes. All highly active players, the band’s compiled resume includes collaborations with Noname, Chance the Rapper, Makaya McCraven, Jeff Parker, Saba, Nick Mazzarella, Mavis Staples and many more. The self-titled album presents a juicy suite of elegantly-orchestrated lo-fi jazz instrumentals germinated from home recording experiments by the group’s producer and arranger Will Miller. Resavoir's debut is already making waves, gaining support from the like of Bradley Zero (NTS), Gilles Peterson (BBC 6 Music), Matt Wilkinson (Beats 1) , Stereogum, Supreme Standards, and Twisted Soul to name a few.

Bill Bruford - Earthworks Complete

A Summerfold Records reissue, Bill Bruford’s ‘Earthworks Complete’ is a spectacular 20CD/4DVD box set of the entire back catalogue across Earthworks' 20-year career. Includes previously unreleased and little known material. What's in the box? 15 titles on 20 CDs and 4 DVDs document the 20 year history from 1987 to 2006 of one of the UK's brightest, most travelled and best loved young jazz ensembles. Featuring Bill Bruford with Iain Ballamy, Django Bates, Patrick Clahar, Laurence Cottle, Tim Garland, Steve Hamilton, Tim Harries, Mark Hodgson, Mick Hutton, Gwilym Simcock. All audio, visual and print materials compiled and curated by Bill Bruford. Additional original artwork by award-winning illustrator, photographer and filmmaker Dave McKean.

 

New Music Releases: Tubby Hayes Quartet; Alicia Olatuja; Horn Rock & Funky Guitar Grooves 1968 to 1974

Tubby Hayes Quartet - Grits, Beans, & Greens – The Lost Fontana Studio Session 1969

A long-lost album from one of our favorite jazz talents of all time – British tenor legend Tubby Hayes, a player we'd easily place on a short list with giants like Dexter Gordon or Sonny Rollins! Like both of those players, Hayes has an incredible talent for longform solos that never lose their fire, direction, or imagination – a quality that emerges here maybe even more strongly than on some of the records that preceded it – as Hayes works with just a quartet, on long tracks that are really dominated by both his great sound, and the strong contributions of pianist Mike Pyne – an equal star on the set! At a time when British jazz was going for a lot of new recording modes, crossover styles, and other gimmicks, the whole thing is a back to basics record for Tubby – but also one that shows just how much he's grown as a soloist in just a few short years – really on fire, as the tenor is driven strongly by the efforts of Ron Mathewson on bass and Spike Wells on drums, completing a great quartet who really get the energy of their leader. Titles include a great version of the Duke Pearson tune "You Know I Care", a lovely take on "Where Am I Going", and the Hayes originals "For Members Only", "Rumpus", and "Grits Beans & Greens". Fantastic stuff – long overdue, and instantly a key addition to the Tubby Hayes Fontana catalog of the 60s! ~ Dusty Groove

Alicia Olatuja - Intuition – Songs From The Minds Of Women

Alicia Olatuja takes on the music of some strong female inspirations – Sade, Brenda Russell, Joni Mitchell, and others – but serves them up in a jazzy style that's very much her own! The album's in a great space between conventional jazz and contemporary soul – and Alicia gets help from Billy Childs on piano and arrangements, plus David Rosenthal on guitar, Ulysses Owens Jr on drums, and Dayna Stephens on tenor – all players whose presence we take as more strong endorsement of the set! Titles include one of the best versions of "People Make The World Go Round" since Dee Dee Bridgewater recorded her jazz take in the 70s – plus "Just Wait", "Child Of The Moon", "Oriana", "Transform", "Hide & Seek", "Gracias A La Vida", "Cherokee Louise", and "No Ordinary Love". ~ Dusty Groove

Horn Rock & Funky Guitar Grooves 1968 to 1974 (Various Artists)

Funky sounds from a time when jazz and rock music instrumentation collided – and came up with a bastard child that was unfortunately named "jazz rock", and which kept some folks away from some surprisingly groovy records back in the day! Don't let that moniker get you down – as it's way more dated than the music on this set, and hardly gets at the soul-drenched style of the grooves – which often owe more to the horn sections of Memphis and Muscle Shoals records from earlier in the 60s, than they do from any higher attempt to merge the worlds of highbrow jazz and long-haired rock! In truth, most of these groups were probably raised on equal parts soul with all the other styles they were drinking up – and they probably also picked up a few members who got young training in school bands, then found a way to work with their guitar-playing friends – adding plenty of color and tone to the drums and bass that really drive the tunes. The set is a wonderful introduction to the genre – and not only mixes a few key classics with lots of overlooked gems – but also touches on some of the funkier nuggets that have been sampled over the years. Titles include "Toe Hold" by Al Kooper, "Run Back To Mama" by Chase, "Clown (part 1)" by The Flock, "One Fine Morning (LP version)" by Lighthouse, "It's Been A Long Time Coming" by Delaney & Bonnie, "Understanding" by Cold Blood, "Somebody Oughta Turn Your Head Around" by Crystal Mansion, "Tuane" by Hammer, "Roller Coaster" by Blood Sweat & Tears, "Clever Girl" by Tower Of Power, "Aunt Marie" by American Sound Ltd, "Gypsy Boy II" by Tobias Wood Henderson, "Blow Your Mind" by Donnie Brooks, "Boomp Boomp Chomp" by The Sons, and "Shoes" by Black Magic. ~ Dusty Groove

 

Jazzmobile Partners with Central Park Conservancy to Present Great Jazz on the Great Hill

Jazzmobile once again partners with Central Park Conservancy to present GREAT JAZZ ON THE GREAT HILL (GJGH), this Saturday, August 10, 4:00 - 7:00 pm on the Great Hill, 106th Street & Central Park West. Don't miss trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, the all-female jazz and blues ensemble Sage, award-winning jazz vocalist Alyson Williams (the GJGH Mistress of Ceremony) and the dynamic Harlem Renaissance Orchestra.

GJGH is part of Jazzmobile's annual SUMMERFEST – New York City's longest-running jazz festival – which kicked off on July 4 with the debut of Jazzmobile’s Residency at Minton’s Playhouse in Harlem and runs throughout the summer. Artists include Dayramir Gonzalez and Jimmy Owens at Grant's Tomb; Marc Cary at Minton's Playhouse; Craig Harris and Winard Harper at Marcus Garvey Park and others.

Jazzmobile’s 2019 SUMMERFEST continues a cultural legacy that was founded in 1964 by

Wycliffe Gordon

pianist, composer, educator and NEA Jazz Master, Dr. Billy Taylor, along with philanthropist and arts administrator, Daphne Arnstein, and saxophonist, composer, educator and NEA Jazz Master, Jimmy Heath. This freeout-of-doors summer concert series is the longest continuous running free jazz festival in New York City. 

Throughout August, Jazzmobile is collaborating with Harlem Week, a month-long celebration of African American art, culture and economic development. Harlem Week is a part of this year’s I Love New York: Harlemcampaign. More of Jazzmobile’s partners this year include the City Parks Foundation/The Charlie Parker Festival and the Harlem Jazz and R&B Music Festival, sponsored by the West Development Corp.

All SUMMERFEST concerts are free, weather permitting and subject to change. The complete schedule is below; for updates go to www.jazzmobile.org or call the SUMMERFEST hotline at 212.866.3616.

Jazzmobile continues the Legacy of founders Dr. Billy Taylor and Daphne Arnstein through high-quality performance and education programs that present, preserve, promote and propagate America’s classical music, Jazz.  Founded in 1964-1965, Jazzmobile is the oldest organization of its kind created just for jazz and presents the longest continuous free jazz festival in Manhattan. www.jazzmobile.org.

New Music Releases: Louie Vega Presents Leroy Burgess & Patrick Adams; Ricardo Peixoto; Itamar Erez

Louie Vega Presents Leroy Burgess & The Universal Robot Band Featuring Patrick Adams – Barely Breaking Even

BBE will mark 500 releases with a Louie Vega, Leroy Burgess & Patrick Adams remake of the Universal Robot Band track that gave the label its name. BBE founder Peter Adarkwah convinced Burgess—who made the 1982 original along with his Logg bandmates Sonny T. Davenport and James J. Calloway—to collaborate with Louie Vega and the legendary disco producer Patrick Adams on a new version of the iconic track. The trio's two remakes look back to integral strands of New York City dance music culture with respective house and boogie mixes. Both feature live strings from the Apple Hill String Quartet, arranged by Adams and Burgess.

Ricardo Peixoto – Scary Beautiful

Although guitarist and composer Ricardo Peixoto was born and raised in Brazil, his musical horizons cross borders, cultures, and genres. Scary Beautiful, his newest CD, comprises 10 of Peixoto’s original compositions, each colored by his broad musical palette. Scary Beautiful is Peixoto’s third CD as a leader. The recording includes some of the best Brazilian and straightahead jazz players from the San Francisco Bay Area and Brazil, and was co-produced by Ricky Fataar, producer and drummer with Bonnie Raitt. Peixoto has performed throughout the U.S., Europe, Canada, Japan and Brazil, recording and performing with Flora Purim and Airto, Bud Shank, Claudio Roditi, Dori Caymmi, Guinga, Arturo Sandoval, Spok, and Jovino Santos Neto, among many others. Peixoto is also a member of the popular Bay Area group, The Berkeley Choro Ensemble, who released their album The View From Here in 2018. Peixoto is a classically trained musician as well as a graduate of Berklee College of Music. His music is firmly rooted in jazz and his native Brazil, with hints of his classical training. His fluid melodic sense and original harmonic approach place him among the top representatives of Brazilian guitar in the U.S. today.

Itamar Erez – Mi Alegria

Itamar Erez is no stranger to exploring new musical territory. Trained in classical guitar, he’s roamed from Turkish music to Spanish Flamenco, from jazz to Afro-Brazilian sounds. But when Erez moved his young family from Tel Aviv to Vancouver, it felt like starting from scratch all over again. A requinto, a Mexican cousin of the guitar, had been sitting in his music room for years, as if the two needed to get to know each other. As Erez began to create a musical community again in his new home, he found inspiration to stretch his sound yet again. Picking up that requinto, Erez delighted in the playful feel of its higher register. The joyful optimism of that moment rings out in “Requinto,” the scintillating opening track of his new solo album, Mi Alegria, a celebration of all of Erez’s musical homes past and present.

San-São Trio in Los Angeles, August 9 and 10

Featuring Amilton Godoy on piano, Léa Freire on flute and Harvey Wainapel on sax & clarinet, the San-São Trio combines the worlds of Brazilian music and jazz in a chamber-music type setting. The San-São Trio blends the swinging exuberance, virtuosity, and charm of the many different rhythms of Brazil with the country's characteristic tender lyricism.

The repertoire of original compositions and arrangements by Godoy and Freire covers the entire range of traditional and modern Brazilian genres. Although some might expect such a group to also include bass and percussion, Godoy also performs as its one-man rhythm section. The concert comes the same month that Godoy and Freire host a workshop at the annual Brazil Camp in San Francisco.

Resident of São Paulo, Godoy is a major figure in the development of Brazilian instrumental music. A classically trained virtuoso, at an early age he shifted his focus to Brazilian Popular Music (MPB) and American Jazz. In 1964, at the age of 23, he formed the influential Zimbo Trio, one of the first “Samba-Jazz” groups to combine these two compatible genres. The group went on to make 51 recordings and tour in 40 countries, and also partnered with countless luminaries, from legendary singer Elis Regina to jazz giant Sonny Stitt. Now in his seventies, Godoy performs with the enthusiastic energy and joy of his youth patinated by decades of hard-earned wisdom and experience. In addition to his active artistic career, in 1973 Godoy founded the first school to focus on these styles, the Centro Livre de Aprendizagem Musical (CLAM), which has nurtured generations of Brazilian musicians, including Léa Freire.

Léa Freire started her studies at CLAM at the age of 16. Although not a student of Godoy, she got to know him at the Zimbo Trio's open rehearsals held at the school. Many years later, Freire and Godoy partnered on a solo album of her compositions. When it came time to release the album, Godoy suggested they cement their musical partnership as a duo, the new formation was an instant success.

Freire has performed her original music throughout North and South America, as well as in Europe, in various formats: the duo with Amilton; the new San-São Trio with Godoy and Wainapel; her quintet; and full orchestra. In 1997 she founded the Maritaca recording label, which has released 40 albums by some of Brazil’s strongest instrumentalists. In the country’s still misogynistic society, Freire has broken many barriers and inspired countless Brazilian women to follow their artistic visions.

Californian saxophonist/clarinetist Harvey Wainapel has toured internationally with Airto Moreira & Flora Purim, Joe Lovano, Ray Charles, and Jovino Santos Neto, and has presented his own work in 23 countries. Since 2000, Wainapel has spent one to two months per year in Brazil, researching, meeting and collaborating with great musicians. These encounters have led to recordings and performances with major figures such as Guinga, Paulo Bellinati, Nelson Ayres, Marco César, Filó Machado, and Spok. On Harvey’s very first day in Brazil, he met Léa Freire, and a deep friendship developed over the years. Many informal musical encounters followed, and in 2017, Godoy and Freire invited Wainapel to join forces. The San-São Trio has since toured in Brazil and the west coast of the U.S. and recorded their album “Novos Caminhos.”

Hermeto Pascoal: “For me, Amilton is one of the best pianists in the land; always has been and always will be!”

João Bosco: “Amilton is one of the greats in the history of our music.”

Egberto Gismonti calls Léa Freire “a strong reminder of a Brazil that so many wish for, including myself.”

Singer/composer Joyce Moreno, commenting on Freire’s group Vento em Madeira, praises “the repertoire, mostly written by the amazing Léa Freire, a hidden Brazilian treasure to be discovered.”

Ivan Lins says “Harvey understands Brazilian music in a way that’s very unusual; he’s got the spirit, he’s a great musician!”

Joe Lovano: “It’s a pleasure to listen to Harvey’s soulful interpretations.”

San-São Trio – Brazilian Chamber Jazz featuring Amilton Godoy on piano, Léa Freire on flute and Harvey Wainapel on sax & clarinet in two Los Angeles appearances.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYXuSMcZIEg&feature=youtu.be

August 9, 8pm

Sam First Bar

6171 W Century Blvd Suite 180, Los Angeles, 90045

August 10, 7:30pm

Casa Arjona - 4515 E. Harvey Way, Long Beach, 90808

Hiromi Releases "Spectrum"

PIANIST HIROMI REFLECTS ON A DECADE OF MUSICAL GROWTH AND EVOLUTION ON HER SECOND SOLO PIANO ALBUM SPECTRUM

When she recorded her solo piano debut, Place to Be, in 2009, Hiromi was on the eve of her 30th birthday. She realized that the album would offer a snapshot of the chapter just ending, the ways in which her experiences and personal growth had shaped her sound over the course of her 20s. She decided then that she would revisit the solo format at least once a decade, building a sonic portrait of her evolution and artistry. 

Ten years later, the prolific pianist goes it alone once again on the stunning new album Spectrum, a dazzling evocation of the vibrant array of colors that imbue her music. Due for release October 4, 2019 on Telarc, a division of Concord Records, Spectrum celebrates the maturity and depth that have enriched Hiromi’s composing and playing over the course of her 30s, years in which she’s crisscrossed the globe thrilling audiences and embarked on collaborations with some of jazz’s most inventive artists, including Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Michel Camilo, Anthony Jackson, Simon Phillips, Steve Smith, Akiko Yano and Edmar Castañeda.

“The sound of a pianist changes with age and with every experience in life,” Hiromi says. “I wanted to set these milestones so that I can see from the outside how I’ve changed and grown. When I recorded Place To Be my goal was recording the sound of my 20s; now I wanted to record the sound of my 30s.”

As she began to reflect back on the successful and rewarding years since her last solo outing, Hiromi quickly began to focus on the theme of colors and how they manifest in her music. That concept has always been central to her approach, from her earliest studies as a young prodigy.

“My first piano teacher always taught me to see colors through music,” she recalls. “When she wanted me to play something expressive or fiery, she colored the score paper with red pencil; when she wanted me to play something melancholic or sad, she would color my score with blue pencil. I thought it was fascinating because the piano itself is mostly black and white – the keys, the finish – but it can create so many colors.” 

The full range of hues tumble together in a prismatic whirl on the album’s mesmerizing opening track, “Kaleidoscope.” Beginning with cyclical patterns reminiscent of minimalists like Philip Glass, the piece rapidly ripples outwards, the patterns expanding and transforming at the pace of the composer’s dizzying imagination. A similar approach marks the striking title tune, in which Hiromi introduces a dramatic central motif, then spins out a breathtaking series of variations, each viewing the theme through a different colored lens. 

The achingly delicate “Whiteout” was born in a blizzard, and gorgeously captures the surreal hush and crystalline beauty of a layer of wandering through a blanket of new fallen snow. The piece’s wondrous elegance calls to mind the vivid impressionism of classical composers like Ravel or Debussy. “I remember walking on a street full of snow, and I just heard that song in my head,” Hiromi says. “Seeing everything covered in white felt really strange, like I was the only person in the city. I didn't really have to think or try to create that song; it just came to me.”

Hiromi’s playfully funky side emerges on the gritty, groovy “Yellow Wurlitzer Blues” – and no wonder given the song’s origins. “Whenever I have a little drink I feel like playing music,” Hiromi laughs. “But I can’t carry a piano around like a guitar or a trumpet. I was telling the owner of the bar that I go to that I really wanted to play, and the next time I walked in he’d bought a yellow Wurlitzer for me.” The instrument is now a focal point for casual outings, where Hiromi inevitably encourages her friends – and anyone else who happens to be out for a night on the town – to join her in singing an improvised blues. 

“Of course they’re not all musicians so they don't know how, but I always say anyone can sing blues,” she says. “People tend to be a bit drunk so they’re more open, and they start telling stories about whatever happened during their day. I’ve had some amazing, memorable nights just having fun and playing the blues.” 

The heartfelt “Blackbird” is another favorite when Hiromi gathers with friends, but while she says she’s played the Beatles favorite countless times in private settings she’d never performed it in a formal concert setting. Spectrum provided the ideal opportunity to capture the song, which feels as intimate and personal here as it surely does when the pianist plays it for her loved ones. “Whenever I play that song I feel like I’m playing towards someone – not any particular someone, but towards one person. For me, that is a one on one song. It’s such a beautiful song.” 

At first glance the title of “Mr. C.C.,” a play on Coltrane’s “Mr. P.C.,” might suggest a tribute to one of Hiromi’s close collaborators, the legendary pianist Chick Corea. But one listen to the silent-era antics of the song and its true inspiration becomes immediately clear: the song is an imaginary score for a Charlie Chaplin film (“I guess the initials C.C. are for the geniuses,” she suggests).

Hiromi was introduced to Chaplin’s films while a student at Berklee College of Music, where she was asked to perform a live score for a silent comedy during a school event. “I was fascinated by how the music can change the image of the film,” she says. “Since then I’ve always wanted to write something for Charlie Chaplin because he’s a true genius and extremely inspirational.”

The introspective “Once In a Blue Moon” muses on the many times in her life that Hiromi feels that she’s experienced a brush with miraculous, those moments when a prayer seems to have been answered or that hope pulls her through a struggle. The title comes from a phrase that she became enchanted with when she discovered it while learning English. The album closes with the equally emotional “Sepia Effect,” which wistfully evokes the faded beauty of a favorite memory. 

The album’s penultimate track is an epic reimagining of George Gershwin’s masterpiece, “Rhapsody in Blue,” which becomes a medley of unexpected classics involving the same color. After taking the Gershwin classic through a number of virtuosic transformations, Hiromi suddenly twists the piece into John Coltrane’s “Blue Train” – and then again into The Who’s “Behind Blue Eyes.” It would be hard to imagine three more disparate artists, though each changed the landscape of popular music in their own unique an innovate fashion. 

“When Coltrane’s music landed in this world, I’m sure it was as shocking as when Gershwin landed, and the same thing for The Who,” Hiromi says. “When I first listened to these artists it was a mind-blowing experience, so I wanted to put them together. Each color can be interpreted very differently, depending on who sees it, and each of these artists came up with a different image of ‘blue.’ By joining them together, I wanted to create my own version of ‘blue.’”

As a whole, Spectrum is a vibrant tour of the rainbow panorama of Hiromi’s sound; in contrast with Place To Be it’s an enthralling encapsulation of her musical maturity. “I feel I’m a little closer to the piano,” Hiromi concludes. “All the pianists that I really respect not only love but are loved by the piano, and that’s the relationship that I would love to build through my life.”

Ivo Perelman & Matthew Shipp Celebrate Perelman's 30th Anniversary and Tireless Push Past 100 Albums with Efflorescence Vol. 1

Tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman and pianist Matthew Shipp have both attested frequently to their remarkably close relationship, which has invited comparisons to John Coltrane and McCoy Tyner, Paul Desmond with Dave Brubeck, even Damon and Pythias. Perelman himself has referenced something beyond telepathy – a gestalt “third mind” arising from their collaborations – to explain the nature of their collaborations.

This musical union has grown significantly in the busy period since 2012, when they recorded their first co-led release, The Art of the Duet. In the intervening years they have now appeared together on more than 25 albums, including seven featuring just the two of them. Their monumental series The Art of Perelman-Shipp – which posited the duo as the center of a “planetary system” bringing other artists into its orbit – led Perelman to state “the gravity, the magnetic attraction, between Matthew and me is very strong. It is the core of everything.”

That bond was further strengthened in 2018 with the release of their three disc box entitled Oneness. So when Perelman and Shipp declared that this would be their valedictory effort – their last studio album in the foreseeable future – it came as a shock. (“For now, there’s nothing more to say,” Perelman explained at the time.)

Less of a shock? The fact that this moratorium didn’t hold. In fact, Efflorescence Volume 1 (available now on Leo Records) ups the ante with a four disc set from these musical soulmates (who have continued to perform in concert during their brief studio hiatus); and Volume 2, a similarly sized boxed set recorded around the same time, will arrive in late Fall.

The release of Efflorescence Vol. 1 marks two remarkable milestones in Perelman’s career. The four disc set pushes the number of discs Perelman has issued past the century mark; it also celebrates the 30th anniversary of his debut recording, released in 1989. 

In June 2019, Perelman and Shipp undertook a multi-week tour that began in Europe and ended in São Paulo, Brazil, where two performances preceded the July 13 opening of a major gallery exhibition devoted to Perelman’s separate career as a visual artist. Perelman’s works hang in worldwide collections and have also served as cover art for dozens of his recordings; the majority of his paintings bristle with the same vivacious, kinetic expressionism that animate his music.

 

Brazilian duo Pedro Martins and Michael Pipoquinha at Blue Whale in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, August 13

Vera’s Heartbeat presents the first Los Angeles performance of the Brazilian duo Pedro Martins and Michael Pipoquinha at Blue Whale in downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday, August 13 at 9 pm. The evening will include the musicians performing classic choros, as well as their original songs paying tribute to their roots. Pipoquinha will play traditional rhythms from northeast Brazil, where he was born, while Pedro will offer a modern jazz take inspired by his childhood heroes from the state of Minas Gerais.

This year they earned a "Música em Movimento" (Music in Movement) grant from Petrobras Cultural which supports their upcoming album release tour across six Brazilian cities.

Laureate of The 2015 Socar Guitar Competition at the 49th Montreux Jazz Festival, Pedro Martins is a “multidimensional” [The Observer] Brazilian multi-instrumentalist/guitarist and vocalist. Meanwhile, bass player Pipoquinha draws from the musical foundation of his first instrument, the guitar, to introduce a unique and gorgeous, Brazilian sound combining harmony with the bass line.

Invited by producer Ivan Capucho to perform for the first time as a duo at the 2016 Choro & Jazz Festival in Jericoacara, northeast of Brazil, Pedro Martins and Michael Pipoquinha are musicians’ musicians who perform with magnetism and mastery. Both young men draw on the full spectrum of Brazilian rhythms, giving grace to their musical traditions with a delivery that draws their own musical heroes to lean in (and often even sit in).

Martins was born in Gama, close to the Brazilian capital; his father, master musician, Oscar Azevedo, taught him to play when he was three. At age six he could play songs on the guitar by ear, by age eight he was studying with Dib Francis, at Escola de Música de Brasília (EMB). At ten, he joined the band Fator RH with Felipe Viegas, by age 18 he was already a solid multi-instrumentalist, playing guitars (acoustic and electric), piano, bass and drums.

Today Martins is known for his collaborations with Kurt Rosenwinkel, Yaron Herman, David Binney, Jacob Collier, and Genevieve Artadi (Knower), as well as jazz greats Hamilton de Holanda, Gabriel Grossi, and Léo Gandelman. In February of this year, Martins released his second album VOX, thirteen jazz-inflected Brazilian rock songs that were result of a two-year-long recording and production process between Martins and legendary jazz guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel (Heartcore Records). 

On VOX, Martins showcases his multi-instrumental skills by playing guitar, piano/synths, bass, drums, percussion, flute and singing in falsetto, and is joined by an all-star cast of supporting musicians: Brad Mehldau, Chris Potter, Kyle Crane, Federico Heliodoro, Antonio Loureiro, and his father, Oscar Azevedo. “This album is like a book of stories that have happened in my life,” says Martins in the album’s ‘press materials. “What you can hear is actually my inner voice narrating those stories through the medium of music.”  “Writing songs is a way of confessing something,” he says, “a way of conveying all the love I feel about something. I try to write songs that really come from a genuine feeling,” Martins said in an interview with Jazz Times. All About Jazz raved about VOX, “In a mix of big stadium choruses and melancholically layered synth verses, Martins hides an ocean of intricacies that can be explored over and over again.”

Kurt Rosenwinkel had served on the jury which awarded Martins his 2015 Socar Guitar Competition win, and the two artists formed a partnership and friendship that continues to this day. Martins records and tours as a featured member of Rosenwinkel’s Caipi Band and can be heard playing guitar, keyboards, and singing on the 2017 Heartcore Records release Caipi.  “When Martins and Rosenwinkel shared vocal lines, they sang as if from a single source of inspiration.” – Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune

In September of this year, Martins will perform at Eric Clapton’s prestigious Crossroads Guitar Festival with Daniel Santiago. In 2015, Martins and Santiago recorded the impromptu instrumental album Simbiose, and Clapton was so impressed that he invited the duo to his festival, marking the first time Brazilian-style music will be featured in its line-up.

Pipoquinha was born in Limoeiro do Norte, in the state of Ceará, northeast Brasil and learned to play guitar and then bass from his father and grandfather. At 13, Pipoquinha became a viral Youtube sensation when he started posting his own homemade videos playing bass. His technique, inspired by Brazilian northeastern rhythms and bass masters like Jaco Pastorius and Nico Assumpção, was so sublime, he ended up being interviewed on one of the biggest Brazilian TV shows, “Domingão do Faustão.”

In 2014 he recorded his first album, Cearensinho, a tribute to his home state produced by one of his idols, bassist Arthur Maia. In 2015, he went to Europe for the first time invited by the program “We’ve Got Talent,” where he performed songs from his first album with the renowned Big Band WDR in Germany. 

Pipoquinha has shared the stage with many leading acts around the world including Toninho Horta, Cainã Cavalcante, Nelio Costa, Felipe Silveira, Arthur Maia, Sergio Groove, Jeferson Gonçalves, and Big Time Orchestra. In 2017 he started his own tribute to the master Dominguinhos with Mestrinho and Alex Buch called Trio Seu Domingos. In 2018, he garnered more notoriety through his musical contributions to a tribute to Jaco with the Latvian Radio Big Band at the festival Riga Jazz Stage.

Pipoquinha has just released his second album, Lua, produced by Sergio Haick, with whom he recorded the Brazilian instrumental music album Nosso Mundo. Lua features performances by Brazilian masters Toninho Horta, who wrote a song for the album, as well as Yamandu Costa.

Pipoquinha has performed in leading festivals in Brazil and around the world like Brazil Fortaleza Bass Festival, Guaramiranga Jazz & Blues Festival, Rio das Ostras Festival, Diamantina Jazz Festival, Rigs Ritmi, Gospel Jazz Festival, and Power Trio Festival, among others.

The Emotions: Don't Ask My Neighbors (1976-1981) 5 Albums/3CD Set

The Emotions: Don't Ask My Neighbors – The Columbia/Arc Recordings (Flowers/Rejoice/Sunbeam/Come Into Our World/New Affair/bonus tracks) 

Amazing box set – five full albums of material, plus lots of bonus tracks too! First up is Flowers – a soaring classic from The Emotions – thanks to some supreme help from the Earth Wind & Fire side of the soul spectrum! This set has the trio really sounding great – with Kalimba Productions by Maurice White and Charles Stepney – and a good deal of EWF help on the instrumentation as well! The girls break out of the rootsier style used on their earlier Stax recordings, and manage to fit perfectly with the jazzy tinges of the new grooves – and, along with Ramsey Lewis and EWF, the Emotions were part of a hugely successful trinity during the late 70s – one that took the indie soul roots of the Chicago scene and turned it into landmark big business for Columbia Records. The album's got a new approach to female group soul that would go onto shape R&B for years to come – and titles include "Flowers", "I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love", "We Go Through Changes", "Special Part", and "You've Got The Right To Know". 

Next is Rejoice – a huge hit for both The Emotions and Maurice White – whose Kalimba Productions handled this album in the same hit mode they'd been using for Earth Wind & Fire! There's a polished, soaring bounce her that definitely shows the Earth Wind & Fire touch – and which takes the girls miles from their rougher, rootsier soul of the Stax/Volt years – yet like all the best EWF records of the time, the sound is also plenty soulful, with lots of righteous undercurrents. The album includes the group's wonderful track "Don't Ask My Neighbors", a heavenly tune that builds on a long tradition of sweet female soul from Chicago; the super-huge "Best Of My Love", a hit on dancefloors and radios for years to come – and many other nice numbers like "Blessed", "How'd I Know That Love Would Slip Away", and "Key To My Heart". 

Sunbeam is great little album from The Emotions – largely because it sounds a lot like prime mid 70s Earth Wind & Fire, with female vocals added over the top – ultimately, pulling away with a soulful charm all its own! Maurice White produced the whole set, and it's got a soaring spacey sound that provides a perfect spiritual edge to the girls vocals – taking them way past the hits, into much more sophisticated soul territory. There's a beautifully righteous vibe going on throughout – a sound that's almost like Minnie Riperton at her 70s Capitol best – and titles include "Love Vibes", "Walking The Line", "Time Is Passing By", "I Wouldn't Lie", "Smile", and "Spirit Of Summer". 

Come Into Our World has the sweet Emotions at the top of their game – one of the brilliant albums that has the soulful trio working hand in hand with Earth Wind & Fire! The girls were plenty great in their early years, but working with Maurice White and company, they really took off – hitting a whole new level that really unlocked some deeply spiritual power in their vocals! And sure, the approach also yielded the group plenty of hits – but for good reason, too – given the classic quality and all-great nature of a set like this. Maurice White produced, and the lineup is filled with plenty of Earth Wind & Fire players too – working with some great arrangements from Tom Tom 84, Wade Marcus, and others. Tunes are balanced between clubby numbers and some nice midtempo moments – and titles include "Where Is Your Love", "Cause I Love You", "Come Into My World", "On & On", "I Should Be Dancing", "Layed Back", and "Yes I Am". 

New Affair has The Emotions breaking free a bit from the Earth Wind & Fire influence, and grooving nicely with a sweet 80s feel! The girls' voices are still quite wonderful – some of the deepest harmonies in the female soul world at the time – and the tunes kick it up nicely in a blend of snapping bassy club tracks and mellower cuts that sweetly sway with their great vocals! Loads of wonderful tracks – and an album not to miss! Titles include "Turn It Out", "There'll Never Be Another Moment", "Now That I Know", "Love Lies", "When You Gonna Wake Up", and "Here You Come Again". 3CD set features 8 bonus tracks – including "Boogie Wonderland (12" mix", "Don't Ask My Neighbors (single version)", "I Should Be Dancin (single version)", "My Baby Dance", "Changes", "Where Is Your Love (single version)", and "Flowers (single version)". ~ Dusty Groove

Michael Brecker International Saxophone Competition Eight Semi-Finalists to Compete at the Red Sea Jazz Festival in Eilat, Israel (August 25 – 27)

The Michael Brecker International Saxophone Competition is delighted to announce the eight semi-finalists for their inaugural competition. Artem Badenko, Niall Cade, Nathan Bellott, Alex Hahn, Sheridan Hitchcock, Sean Payne, Daniel Varga and Alex Weitz will compete for the top 3 prizes. The final two rounds are to be held at the Red Sea Jazz Festival in Eilat, Israel from August 25 through August 27.

By virtue of their selection, each of the semi-finalists embody the spirit and influence that Michael Brecker’s artistry will impact for generations to come. Brecker’s discography of more than 900 albums features work with his brother Randy and Frank Zappa, Herbie Hancock, Aerosmith, James Brown, Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Lou Reed, Funkadelic, Bruce Springsteen, Steely Dan, John Lennon, Elton John, Chick Corea, and Pat Metheny, among others. Hailed by The New York Times as “among the most influential musicians in jazz since the 1960s,” Brecker passed away in 2007 at 57 years old after a battle with leukemia.

As a result of his stylistic and harmonic innovations, the 15-time Grammy winner will forever be regarded as one of the most eminent saxophonists of this or any generation. He loved the company of musicians and especially aspiring young saxophonists. He would listen to the unsolicited tapes received, would return with feedback, and would always take time to speak to young musicians following his gigs. In his characteristically humble way, Michael had an uncanny ability to make everyone feel special. In recognition of Michael’s generosity, and to assist in providing ballast to deserving careers, The Michael Brecker International Saxophone Competition was created. The mission of the competition is to assist in the launch of emerging, exceptionally talented saxophonists.

Susan Brecker, Michael’s widow and a co-founder of the competition said, “It is a wonderful honor. Michael was always supportive of young saxophonists and would have been delighted and humbled.” Added her co-founder Darryl Pitt — Michael’s former manager who encouraged Michael to appear at the inaugural Red Sea Jazz Festival to help the Festival get started, “Mike was an astounding musician and an even better man; I miss him dearly—as does everyone who was blessed to have him in their lives.”

The preliminary judges for the competition included critically acclaimed saxophonists Melissa Aldana, Marcus Strickland and Ben Wendel, who made their decisions solely based on the recorded performances provided. Each applicant was assigned a number and the judges were not provided any further information.

LATIN JAZZ GRAMMY NOMINATED, JANE BUNNETT & MAQUEQUE TO RELEASE NEW ALBUM "ON FIRM GROUND / TIERRA FIRME"

On the heels of a headlining performance at the prestigious Montreal International Jazz Festival, JANE BUNNETT has confirmed the release of her new album On Firm Ground / Tierra Firme with MAQUEQUE, to be released on September 6, 2019 via Linus Entertainment.

JANE BUNNETT and MAQUEQUE has evolved - in less than five years - from a project to support and honor the new generation of young women jazz players and composers, to a Grammy-nominated, critically acclaimed band that is in demand internationally at major Jazz festivals.

This all-female collective is led by veteran jazz icon, soprano saxophone player, flautist, composer and proud Canadian JANE BUNNETT. With five Juno awards, three Grammy nominations and an Officer of the Order of Canada (Canada's highest civilian award) JANE BUNNETT decided to dedicate herself to taking MAQUEQUE to the world.

Prior to recording On Firm Ground / Tierra Firme, BUNNETT and MAQUEQUE went from strength to strength touring constantly from Canada's Yukon to Colombia, Brazil, Cuba and Panama, to major US Jazz festivals and clubs including Newport, Monterey, Saratoga, Birdland and Lincoln Center.

A recent collaborator, Sacred Steel guitar player and vocalist Nikki D Brown, comes from the Church and hails from Toledo, Ohio. She contributes fiery steel and soulful vocals to On Firm Ground and melancholy playing and vocals on "Broken Heart." Dayme Arocena (a founding member and inspiration for the group) is full on for this recording and offers her composition, "Mysteries of Jane's House," showing how in a few short years she has become one of the bright lights and biggest stars in Afro Cuban Jazz.

L-R: Tailin Marrero Zamora, Yissy García, Joanna Tendai Majoko, Mary Paz, Jane Bunnett,

Danae Plano

  

Pianist Danae Olano wrote three compositions and has become Bunnett's closest collaborator. Her playing and composition skills have blossomed, and her pieces represent the heart and soul of this third Maqueque recording. Other highlights include three new Bunnett compositions, including "Monkey See, Monkey Do" with lyrics by past member Melvis Santa, who adds her vocals throughout the CD. Drummer Yissy Garcia is the heartbeat and power that propels Maqueque along, especially with new members Mary Paz on percussion and bassist Tailin Marrero Zamora, who adds a beautiful acoustic bass sound. Another surprise is the addition of MAQUEQUE's newest member, Joanna Tendai Majoko, an incredibly soulful vocalist whose roots are in Zimbabwe and who immediately connected with the MAQUEQUE groove.

Producer Larry Cramer contributes a stunning take on John Coltrane's "Moment's Notice," titled "Momentum," done in a conga style and clocking in at just over three minutes.

  

JANE BUNNETT AND MAQUEQUE 2019 TOUR DATES:

August 16 - Picton, ON / Prince Edward County Jazz Fest - The Regent Theatre

August 23-24 - Maynooth, ON / The Arlington Hotel

September 1 - Toronto, ON / Harbourfront Centre - Labour Day Weekend Festival - CD launch celebrating On Firm Ground

September 5 - Toronto, ON / JAZZ.FM Live to Air

September 14 - Selbyville, DE / Arts & Jazz Festival / Freeman Stage

September 17, 18 - New York City / the Jazz Standard

September 19 - Lewisburg, PA / Bucknell University

September 20 - New York City / Flushing Town Hall

September 21 - Baltimore / Eubie Blake Center for Contemporary Arts

September 25 - Salisbury, MD / Salisbury University

September 27 - Frederick, MD / New Spire Arts

November 1 - Orillia, ON / St Paul's Centre / Orillia Centre for Arts and Culture

November 3 - Cabarete / Dominican Republic Jazz Festival

December 5, 6, 7, 8 / Chicago, Il - Jazz Showcase

December 13 - Pittsburgh / MCG Jazz

December 14 - Wellsboro, PA / Deane Center

December 15 - Buffalo, NY / A Latin Jazz Christmas with Jane Bunnett and Maqueque / Nichols Flickinger Performing Arts Center

By Special Arrangement", the new album by Aussie soul heroes The Bamboos

Bandleader Lance Ferguson and his nine piece Melbourne outfit The Bamboos have come a long way since forming in 2001. Initially inspired by the instrumental raw funk of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, they made waves internationally and were quickly labelled as one of the greatest funk and soul bands of our time. But while many would be happy to simply soak up the praise and keep on keeping on, The Bamboos have proven that they are more than meets the eye; over 8 acclaimed albums their evolution in sound and style has consistently confounded and exceeded expectations, pulling the rug from under the feet of those who like to pigeonhole.

The Bamboos signed to respected Brighton (UK) indie label Tru Thoughts in 2005, becoming a real cornerstone of the roster. Across their five albums on the label – debut “Step It Up” in 2006, follow-up “Rawville” in 2007, third opus “Side-Stepper” in 2008, the aptly-titled “4″ in 2010 and “Medicine Man” in 2012 – the metamorphosis of The Bamboos has been full of twists and turns, and it continues apace. A seasoned DJ, solo producer (aka Lanu) and all-round insatiable music obsessive, Ferguson‘s myriad influences and passion for pushing things forward ensure that each new release is a discovery for devout fans and newcomers alike.

The band’s fifth long-player “Medicine Man” released in June 2012 was a watershed – a forward-looking record brimming with fresh ideas, stellar turns, classic songwriting and a brand of multi–layered pop they can truly call their own. Guest vocalists Aloe Blacc, Tim Rogers (You Am I), Megan Washington, Daniel Merriweather, Bobby Flynn, alongside resident singers Kylie Auldist and then newcomer Ella Thompson helped make the album their biggest until then.

The Bamboos’ ridiculously enjoyable live shows have seen them perform at pretty much every major festival in Australia. In Feb 2010 the band played the prestigious headline set at The St Kilda Festival to over 7000 people. The Bamboos have also toured Europe and the U.K three times, performing sell-out shows at esteemed venues including The Barbican and The Jazz Cafe in London and in countries including France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Slovakia, Belgium, Switzerland and Ireland. As the go-to band for tight and heavy vibes, they have also performed as the backing band for international artists including Eddie Bo (US), Syl Johnson (US), Joe Bataan (US), Eddie Floyd (US), Betty Harris (US) and Alice Russell (UK).

Songs by The Bamboos have been regularly on playlists of national radio stations in Australia, the UK, France, the US, Japan and beyond. The unshakable charm of their songs has also seen them licensed to hit movies including “Crazy Stupid Love”, the soon to be released “Adore” with Naomi Watts & Robin Wright, and TV shows such as “Grey’s Anatomy”, “CSI New York”, “One Tree Hill”, “Ugly Betty” and more.

Like its predecessor, the band’s sixth album “Fever In The Road” was co-produced by ARIA- nominated, multi-instrumentalist studio wizard John Castle – ranked amongst the first-call producers in Australia. The new record (the first on Ferguson‘s own Pacific Theatre label) sees Castle and Ferguson venturing into sonic landscapes The Bamboos have previously touched on but never fully inhabited. There is a sense that the music is leaner and more muscular, yet upon closer inspection the tracks reveal themselves to be densely multi-layered in a ‘Wall Of Sound’ style.  It’s this aural complexity and depth that allows darker moods to roam through the album, taking their sound to a new place. Choosing this album to reflect the band as it is on stage, the vocals are split between Kylie Auldist and Ella Thompson. And each bring contrasting styles that complement each other magically, but show The Bamboos to be utterly unique.

2015 saw The Bamboos team up with Tim Rogers for the release of “The Rules Of Attraction”, with 12 meticulously crafted songs that strike a balance between the band’s patent introverted groove and Rogers’ effervescent rock’n’swagger. The result is something that sounds varied, fresh and brimming with enthusiasm. With eighth album “Night Time People” released in 2018, The Bamboos consolidated their relationship with Kylie Auldist, effectively constructing and executing the full-length around her unmistakable voice. This release provided a backbone twisting slab of pop colored funk that reaffirmed The Bamboos in their rich and unique sound while keeping their hefty and rich legacy intact.

Bandleader Ezra Weiss attempts to make sense of a divided world on his debut Big Band album, We Limit Not the Truth of God

These turbulent times can be a source of confusion and hopelessness even for those of us who obsess over social media feeds and 24 hour news channels. So just try explaining it to young children still forming their sense of the world! That’s the challenge faced by composer and bandleader Ezra Weiss in composing the debut album for his own Big Band. Weiss rises to the occasion with a heartbreakingly confessional and impassioned suite that’s both a loving message passed down from father to children as well as a profound and deeply felt plea for togetherness and empathy.

  

We Limit Not the Truth of God, due out August 16 via Origin Records, is framed by a letter penned by Weiss to his two young children. “This music is for you,” Weiss opens before quickly correcting himself: “Well, not really. It’s for me. But it’s inspired by you.” The same can be said for the text interspersed throughout the suite, which ostensibly takes the form of a parent explaining the challenges their offspring should expect to face as they embark on life in contemporary society; but it’s just as much a document of the struggles we all face in trying to make sense of a rapidly changing and increasingly divisive world. 

Weiss does that the best way he knows how: through stirring and emotionally expressive music played by a stellar ensemble of first-call musicians. The brilliant 17-piece big band includes such distinctive soloists as saxophonists John Nastos, Rob Davis, Renato Caranto and Mieke Bruggeman; trumpeters Farnell Newton, Derek Sims and Thomas Barber; trombonists Stan Bock and Jeff Uusitalo; and flutist John Savage. The album was recorded live in the resonant Alberta Abbey, a historic church turned performance space in Weiss’ hometown of Portland, Oregon. 

When Weiss began writing the music that would become We Limit Not the Truth of God in 2015, he expected to communicate a more light-hearted message to his youngsters. “Originally the idea was going to be that these are some of the issues we’re dealing with, but we’re getting better,” Weiss recalls. “It was going to have that optimistic slant, so by the end you’d feel hopeful and empowered about progress. Then after the 2016 election, as I was actually writing the music, that was no longer a realistic possibility.” 

With countless issues to tackle, Weiss’ writing eventually focused on a single theme: the notion of the ‘other,’ how it’s used to draw lines in the sand and how it can only be rebuked by the realization that ultimately we’re all in this together. “There isn’t an ‘other,’” Weiss insists. “That became the theme of the piece.” 

We Limit Not the Truth of God takes its name from a hymn written by George Rawson in 1853, based on the words delivered by Pastor John Robinson to the Pilgrims as they left Holland, eventually landing in America. It’s difficult to imagine what those pioneers might think of the country where they landed in its current, deeply riven guise, though the hymn’s inspiring words could provide as much guidance now as they did then. They’re sung on this recording by the Camas High School Choir, their young voices lending the meaningful words an even more profound dimension. 

Weiss, who describes himself as “religiously agnostic but culturally Jewish,” discovered the hymn, ironically enough, while working as music director for a Christian church. Bridging the illusory divide of belief systems, the words resonated deeply with him. “In our contemporary world,” Weiss says, “we tend to make a lot of assumptions, but there’s a higher truth that we often don't see. That’s what spoke to me about the hymn; it brings up the idea of truth, and now when we live in a world where we’re so polarized that people choose what facts they believe and don't believe, the concept of truth has become really important.” 

That notion is reflected in the title of “Blues and the Alternative Fact,” a play on Oliver Nelson’s classic Blues and the Abstract Truth, updated to comment on today’s mind-boggling political euphemisms. The piece itself bears echoes of Nelson’s style with a covert drama and sly humor all its own, giving Bruggeman’s baritone and Bock’s trombone the gut-punch solo space. That piece follows the mood-setting “Fanfare for a Newborn,” a determinedly (if deceptively) optimistic opener with a soaring Farnell Newton trumpet turn leading into a group improvisation. 

The rich, moving colors of “José’s Drawing” were inspired by the story of a 5-year old boy from Honduras, separated from his father after crossing the border in El Paso, Texas. In his introduction to the piece, Weiss compares José’s ordeal with that of his own child starting kindergarten – the terror of that more commonplace experience suggesting just how horrifying the situation on the border must be. “Obergefell” takes the suite in a more celebratory direction with a victory for the forces of love, taking its title from the name of the defendant in the Supreme Court case that legalized same-sex marriage. Weiss’ choral arrangement vividly depicts the triumphant joy of the decision as altoist Nastos and trumpeter Barber take flight. 

“What Now” is the sole pairing of Weiss’ words and the Big Band’s music, both gaining in intensity as the composer rattles off the list of wrongs he can’t bring himself to address through his music. The ensemble’s dissonant clamor, cut through by Savage’s urgent flute, underscores Weiss’ increasingly desperate tone. Before the palette-cleansing encore of Wayne Shorter’s immortal “Footprints,” the catharsis comes via the culminating piece, “Please Know That I Love You,” a tender ode that suggests a way forward through understanding and, most of all, caring for one another. 

Portland-based composer/pianist Ezra Weiss has released six albums as a bandleader: The Five A.M. Strut (2003), Persephone (2005), Get Happy (2007), The Shirley Horn Suite (2010), Our Path To This Moment (2012), and Before You Know It [Live in Portland] (2014). Weiss wrote the music for the Portland Jazz Composer’s Ensemble’s multimedia concert/recording From Maxville To Vanport (2018), and music and lyrics for three children’s musicals designed to introduce young people to jazz: Alice in Wonderland: a Jazz Musical (2009), Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (2010), and Cinderella (2013).  His arrangements for Derek Hines’ recording The Long Journey Home (2017) led to the formation of his own Ezra Weiss Big Band, which he leads along with his Sextet. Weiss has won the ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Award three times and has been listed in DownBeat Critics Polls in the Rising Star Arranger category. He has performed with Billy Hart, Dayna Stephens, Greg Bandy, Michael Philip Mossman, Antonio Hart, Thara Memory, Renato Caranto, Devin Phillips, Marilyn Keller, Shirley Nanette, and Dennis Rowland, among others.

ezraweiss.com

Bamako – the first album of the New York-based collaborative group, the OGJB Quartet

Bamako is the first recording of the New York-based collaborative group, the OGJB Quartet, that features four strong composers and leaders in their own right on their respective instruments: saxophonist Oliver Lake, cornetist Graham Hayes, bassist Joe Fonda and drummer Barry Altschul. 

Ever since its first performance at the Winter Jazz Festival in 2016, the OGJBQuartet has been highly acclaimed as one of the most creative collaborative groups working today. Two of its members, Lake and Altschul, are among the original creators of today’s modern improvised music going back to the 1960s while even the other two, Haynes and Fonda, have been a strong presence since the late 1970s. All four have contributed compositions to this recording that also features two collective improvisations.

The name of the band is an acronym of the first letters of each musician’s first name. In Oliver Lake’s words: “Music is the leader and that’s why it’s not under anyone’s name.”

“The music on this recording sings and strolls down the street, it swings, it dances, it swirls around your body like water and it grooves with a deep sense of its musical history. We feel that a perfect synergy is found within this quartet. What more could we ask for?”, says Joe Fonda.

Oliver Lake (b. 1942) is an accomplished saxophonist, flutist, composer, poet and visual artist. During the 1960s, Lake was one of the founders of the Black Artists Group (BAG) in his hometown of St. Louis. After living briefly in Paris in the early 1970s, Lake settled in New York and has led his own groups ever since. In 1977, he founded the World Saxophone Quartet with David Murray, Julius Hemphill and Hamiet Bluiett. He is also a co-founder of Trio 3 with Reggie Workman and Andrew Cyrille. Currently, Lake continues to lead his own groups, including the Oliver Lake Organ Quartet and the Oliver Lake Big Band, as well as perform with Trio 3.

Graham Haynes (b. 1960) grew up in Queens, New York, and is known as a cornetist and composer working in nu jazz, fusing jazz with elements of hip-hop and electronic music. Haynes first became more widely known in 1979 when he and alto saxophonist Steve Coleman together formed Five Elements, a key ensemble in the M-Base Collective. Soon, Haynes was also leading his own groups. Haynes has studied a wide range of African, Arabic and South Asian music and, after a move to Paris in 1990, incorporated these far-off influences into his next releases. Haynes returned to New York City in 1993 to take advantage of the flourishing hip-hop scene and, a bit later, drum ‘n’ bass. Haynes has also worked on several critically acclaimed multimedia projects and composed music for films.

Joe Fonda (b. 1954) comes from upstate New York. After studying at the Berklee College of Music in 1973-75, he settled in New Haven playing and recording with Wadada Leo Smith, among others. Soon after moving to New York City in the early 1980s, Fonda participated in the collaborative group Mosaic Sextet. Fonda is also well known for his collaborations with Anthony Braxton between 1993 and 2003. In 1992, he co-founded with Michael Jefry Stevens theFonda/Stevens Group. Fonda has also toured and recorded with the FAB Trio, From the Source, The NU Band, Bottoms Out, Conference Call, Off Road Quartet, Trio Generations and Eastern Boundary Quartet, among others.

Barry Altschul (b. 1943), was born and raised in New York City and is a veteran of highly influential groups with Paul Bley, Anthony Braxton, Chick Corea and Sam Rivers in the 1960s and the 1970s. Altschul has also led several groups of his own particularly in the 1970s and the 1980s, recording some of the finest “freebop” albums of the period. After living in Europe for a decade and then focusing mostly on teaching following his return to New York City, Altschul returned to active playing in the new millennium establishing the FAB Trio (History Of Jazz In Reverse, TUM CD 028) with violinist Billy Bang and Joe Fonda in 2003. Since 2013, Altschul has led The 3dom Factor with saxophonist Jon Irabagon and Joe Fonda (The 3dom Factor, TUM CD 032, and Tales of the Unforeseen, TUM CD 044).